Tax dept raids former ministers

Bangalore/Mysore, Sept 12, 2013, DHNS:

Income Tax officers on Thursday conducted simultaneous raids on 32 places owned by former ministers Krishnaiah Setty, S A Ramadas and his brother Srikanth Das, and seized a large quantity of documents, cash and jewellery.

The raids, which started at 8 am and ended at 2 pm, stretched across cities. Residences and offices of the trio and a few outlets of their relatives in Bangalore, Mysore, Malur and Kolar were also searched.

The raids took place as the trio had allegedly evaded tax and amassed properties disproportionate to their known sources of income.

“We are yet to ascertain how much tax the three have evaded so far. We have recovered some crucial documents and are in the process of scrutinising them. It would take some time for us get to the bottom of the truth,” an officer, who is part of the raiding team, said.

However, all the three welcomed the raids claiming that they had paid taxes regularly.In Mysore, the I-T team was almost stopped from raiding the office of Das, a realtor. When the sleuths reached No 434, Sri Narayana Dhama, 3rd Stage, Contour Road, Gokulam, around 8 am, the security guard tried to stop them from entering the premises. However, Ramadas allowed them in later.

Later, a security guard at the gate was found locking the gate at the instruction of the I-T officers. A tax officer, who arrived at the house later, was let in only after he showed his identity card. Another person in plainclothes kept a watch outside. Throughout the raid, the media was kept at bay.

At the same time, another team is learnt to have raided the office of Ess and Ess Infrastructures at Kuvempunagar, an office owned by Das. Though the officers remained tight-lipped about the seized documents, it is learnt that they pertain to real estate holdings of Ramadas and Das. They are said to be owning a large tract of land near Gorur on the outskirts of the city, near Huyilal on Mysore-Hunsur road, to name a few.

Seven outlets owned by Setty and his relatives in Malur and Kolar were also raided. Setty and Das and their relatives are said to have cooperated with the I-T officers.